Washington, D.C. was recently rated the “#1 Most Stressed Out City in America” by a real estate blog, which based its ratings on criteria including commute time, high cost of living, hours worked, and population density. Research suggests that high levels of stress have a negative impact on health and well-being, including fighting illness, thinking … Read more
Time management is often a topic of discussion within my office, as well as, a source of conflict within many family homes. Upon first hearing about time management concerns, my response is typically to help families create predictable routines during moments when time becomes an issue, such as rushing around in the morning, getting to … Read more
Recent data indicates that more and more parents are facing the dilemmas that come from having adult children living with them. Whether your college age child is home for the summer, your recent college grad is back at home “temporarily,” or your adult child never left home, this living arrangement can be challenging for everyone … Read more
There are over 30,000 suicides in the United States every year, making it the 10th leading cause of death for Americans (3rd among youth and 2nd among college students). We lose someone to suicide every 13 minutes, and 60% of us will personally know someone who dies by suicide. It is important to remember that … Read more
As parents, we strive to do the right things for our kids. Unfortunately, many of the things we do in an effort to meet their needs actually work against the real goal of parenting, which is to create an environment in which children can grow into motivated, mature, and independent human beings. Below are a … Read more
I recently read an interesting article in The New York Times about raising a moral child. The article, “Raising a Moral Child,” was written by Adam Grant, a professor of management and psychology at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success.” The … Read more
The beliefs that we hold about how things should be or people should behave can actually create more stress and rob us from daily enjoyment. When we go through our days with preconceived notions, we might become frustrated and/or angry when things don’t go as expected. For example, if we hold the common belief that … Read more
Not everyone who experiences stress meets criteria for a psychological disorder. Stress is a relatively common occurrence, and some stress can even be positive – feeling a bit tense can provide the energy and motivation to tackle a challenge. However, as we all know by now, high levels of stress can impede performance, trigger anxiety, … Read more
What is Executive Function? “Executive Function” is a term used to describe a set of “mental processes” or brain-based skills that are required for humans to execute or perform tasks effectively. It is the executive functions that help us carry out independent, purposeful, and goal directed behaviors. Executive skills help kids get done what needs … Read more
Acknowledging your child’s positive behavior is the best way to keep that behavior going. Creating and keeping a behavior chart (a.k.a., “sticker chart” or “reward chart”) helps everyone in the family take the time to stop and recognize when the child is doing something right. Behavior charts also give the child clear goals, so that … Read more
